3 Padres on trade block after Yu Darvish extension, and who could land them
By Mark Powell
Padres trade rumors: Ha-Seong Kim to Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are expected to be without Trevor Story for at least half the season. They also lost Xander Bogaert to this same San Diego team this offseason, meaning they are light at the position.
So, why not trade for Ha-Seong Kim, minus Chaim Bloom’s pride? Sure, the Twitterverse would have a field day with the fact that Bloom not only wouldn’t pay Bogaerts, who went to San Diego, but then traded for his backup. However, Kim is one of the better defensive shortstops in baseball, and has enough pop in his bat to be a serviceable fill-in while Story recovers from Tommy John surgery.
Kim would not be costly, mainly because the Padres have made it known he’s available and they have a surplus at the position. Not to mention, Preller cannot afford to pay everyone.
As NBC Sports points out, Boston’s previous interest in Kim could be a driver for Bloom here: “Kim, who’s on a favorable four-year, $28 million contract that runs through 2024, has also been on Boston’s radar before: The Red Sox reportedly were among six teams interested in Kim when he came out of the KBO late in 2020.”
His four-year, $28 million contract is also a selling point, since Boston is financially-savvy.